Good morning everyone and welcome to today's Marquette basketball chat. There's already a bunch of questions in the queue, so I'll dive right in.

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 2:59:02 PM

who will spend the most time on Thornwell? Wilson? Cheatham? Will MU still be able to play 4 shooters at a time and stop Thornwell?

by Pistol_Brad3/17/2017 2:59:06 PM

If Marquette goes with the starting lineup it has used in most recent games, I'd guess that Wilson starts on him. Cheatham will get some time on him, too, as will Johnson and Reinhardt depending on who is on the court at a given time. We might see a little zone if Thornwell becomes a matchup problem. Marquette will still be able to play their usual style, but I don't know to what extent Thornwell can be "stopped." Regardless of what the defense does he's going to score in double figures and is likely to get to 20 points. He can't do it alone, though. As long as the Golden Eagles play tough defense across the board they'll be OK. They need to make South Carolina take as many contested shots & threes as possible. The Gamecocks are not a good shooting team and any difficult shot is a win for the defense (especially if they can get the rebound).

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 3:03:28 PM

Great offense and poor defense against great defense and poor offense. Make the case for who will overpower who. (And both sides, if you're up for it.)

by @mubbnation3/17/2017 3:03:43 PM

In the interest of saving time, here's a link to my look at the matchups. That said, I'm not going to totally cop out. I think there will be stretches where South Carolina's defense forces turnovers and gets Marquette out of sync (think the game at St. John's). There will also be times where Marquette's ball movement gets the best of South Carolina's defense and leads to some momentum-swinging 3's. It should be fun. At the other end, I think Marquette's defense will have a slight edge. As mentioned, the Gamecocks aren't a good shooting team, which leads to the possibility of Marquette playing more zone to gum up the lane.

Milwaukee Journal SentinelHow the Golden Eagles and Gamecocks match up in their first-round NCAA Tournament game Friday in Greenville, S.C.

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 3:06:43 PM

Hi Matt, great job as always! Obviously you would love to win at least the first game, but do you think just making the tournament is going to provide a huge benefit in recruiting (Elliott and beyond)?

by Dwayne3/17/2017 3:06:51 PM

I think the NCAA Tournament appearance (and possible advancement) definitely offer recruits concrete confirmation that what Steve Wojciechowski and his staff are doing is something that works. It also shows that the players who are returning have the talent to make another run at the tournament next year, which I would guess is exciting for recruits. Wojo had players buying in before he made the tournament, so there's no doubt this will help recruiting.

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 3:08:58 PM

Great work, as always, Matt. Have you talked to Haanif Cheatham? How is he handling his diminishing role? Do you think he may transfer out at the end of the season?

by Tim S.3/17/2017 3:09:04 PM

I have talked to Haanif and he's focused on working hard and contributing any way he can. I don't think he's down on his role, he's just going through a tough stretch and trying to work out of it. There's been no insinuation that he'll transfer, but considering how college basketball works it's not out of the realm of possibility. He's been given plenty of opportunities and will continue to get them at Marquette as long as he puts in the requisite work toward improving his game. Regardless of when or how the season ends, this will be a big summer for him.

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 3:11:46 PM

This game has a special meaning to me. Young black man growing up in a small rural town in Virginia watching Marquette play SC and that big brawl broke out. SC was still segregated at that time. I thought those must be some bad brothers cause they might not get out alive. MU won the game and made it out safe. The next week I'd applied for admission and the rest his history. GO WARRIORS. Hayward Jones "Arts 78"

by Hayward Jones3/17/2017 3:12:03 PM

That's an awesome story. Thanks for sharing!

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 3:12:21 PM

Besides Thornwell who does MU have to stop/slow down in order to win the game

by Dwight Schrute3/17/2017 3:13:27 PM

Sophomore guard PJ Dozier. He's 6-foot-6 and — if you can believe it — puts up a higher percentage of SC's shots (31.9%, 43rd in the nation) than Thornwell when he's on the floor. He's not a good three-point shooter, but will still pull up for a couple each game. Most of his work is done driving to the basket and he draws almost five fouls per 40 minutes. The only problem is he's about a 60% free-throw shooter. Like Thornwell, it'll be important for Marquette to keep him out of the lane. If he's taking jump shots, the Golden Eagles are doing something right.

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 3:16:58 PM

What is MUs best defensive lineup? Who do you think guards Thornwell? Foresee any zone tonight?

by Brad3/17/2017 3:17:18 PM

I think the best defensive lineup is Rowsey, Wilson, Cheatham, Hauser and Fischer, though I don't know how much we see that lineup if at all. The difference between Marquette's lineups defensively isn't that great compared to how potent it can be when it has its best scorers on the court. As I mentioned earlier, I think multiple guys take turns on Thornwell — in part because Marquette will likely switch on a lot of screens. We could see some zone to gum up the paint, too.

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 3:19:24 PM

I thought the decision to bench Jajuan Johnson on National Marquette Day against Xavier was wrong. It appears that at times he is the designated scapegoat for underperforming players on the team. While inconsistent, his ability to create offense by driving the ball to the basket is obvious. What are your thoughts?

by Lady Warrior CT3/17/2017 3:19:43 PM

I don't know the exact reason why JJ was benched for that game and I don't know that any of us will. From my knowledge of Wojo, though, I don't think it was due to JJ being the scapegoat for anything. This wasn't a "You're a senior leader and the team isn't playing at the right level so you're going to sit" type of thing. This was, as far as I can tell, an issue where Johnson wasn't doing what he needed to be doing and Wojo thought he needed the night off to let the message hit home. Marquette won that game, finished the season well and Johnson had two of his best games down the stretch. All's well that ends well, I guess.

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 3:23:06 PM

Any idea when Joey Hauser will make his college decision? Seems like such a great fit at Marquette, hoping he feels the same way.

by Mark S3/17/2017 3:24:14 PM

I'm not sure. I doubt it would be until after the summer recruiting period. Most high-profile guys tend to make their pick before signing day in November, in part because it ends the process and allows them to focus on their senior year of high school. Joey Hauser could be a great fit at Marquette but a player of his caliber could also be a great fit at a lot of other schools. It's certainly a tough decision — one I'm glad I don't have to make/didn't have to make at that age.

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 3:27:06 PM

Projection on '18 recruiting class?

by Skenn19773/17/2017 3:28:18 PM

Well, we know Brendan Bailey will (finally) join the team for the 2018-'19 season, so there's one player right there. Obviously Marquette is quite involved with Joey Hauser, who would be a big get. Wojo & Co. have a bunch of other irons in the fire, with about a dozen offers out. Race Thompson, a 6-foot-8 PF from Minneapolis, has been on campus multiple times, including an unofficial visit on National Marquette Day. The Golden Eagles also have offers out to high-profile recruits Quentin Grimes and Ayo Dosunmu. It's still too early to tell how any of that pans out, but Marquette has been active, as usual.

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 3:33:59 PM

Any prediction for tonight? Do you think the team will show any sign of jitters in their first time in the tournament for majority of the team?

by Dino3/17/2017 3:34:06 PM

I think Marquette's offense — and South Carolina's lack there of — ultimately proves to be the difference in a close Golden Eagles win. I don't know if jitters will be an issue and if they are they're equally likely to impact both teams. The Gamecocks are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2004 and the program hasn't won an NCAA Tournament game since 1973. South Carolina's players said those things are weighing on them, but who knows what happens when the bright lights come on.

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 3:36:52 PM

Does Wojo stick with Matt starting and Fish coming off the bench? And do you think MU's 3-point shooters will be able to get their shots off against the SC defense?

by Eric Compton3/17/2017 3:37:07 PM

I've been considering the Fischer/Heldt question a lot myself and I really don't have a strong answer. My gut tells me Heldt continues to start, but I think Fischer will get more minutes. I think Marquette's shooters will be able to get off their shots as long as they stick to moving the ball around and make the most of drive-and-kick opportunities when they crop up. I know Andrew Rowsey will be able to get off his shots, mostly because he's the most willing to pull up from anywhere.

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 3:39:33 PM

Matt, pick a player for MU tonight that in your opinion could be the "X" factor

by Curt3/17/2017 3:42:51 PM

I'd have to go with Jajuan Johnson. Do we see the JJ that disrupts passing lanes for breakaway steals while not getting to risky on defense, drives with confidence and finishes strong, makes three-pointers and just overall makes good decisions? Or do we see the JJ that puts the defense at a disadvantage by whiffing on steals, tries to do too much on his drives and either misses or travels and can't find his stroke from distance? In my opinion his game is the most variable among Marquette's players, so getting the best of Johnson is a huge lift.

by Matt Velazquez3/17/2017 3:46:45 PM

I'm not seeing any other questions in the hopper, so I guess I'll leave you with my third annual media food rankings in honor of former MU beat writer Todd Rosiak, who asks about my food options just about every game. As always, I omit the food from home games because that wouldn't be a fair contest. The offerings at the BMO Harris Bradley Center are fantastic and consistently the best in the Big East.

1. Butler — Breakfast buffet with eggs, bacon, sausage, home fries, danishes/cinnamon rolls. Honestly, there was just so much food there and such a good variety. I can't recall if I remembered to get sausage, even though I meant to. It was a good problem to have.

2. Georgia — Fried/grilled chicken, mac and cheese, celery & carrots, cupcakes. What more could you want in a lunch?

3. DePaul — Italian beef sandwiches, sausages, salad. I ate way too much at DePaul. I think at the time I said out loud that I shouldn't get another sandwich, then I did anyway. I'm not proud of myself.

4. Villanova — Chicken parmesan, salad, rolls, baked ziti of some kind. This meal was fine but I went into it with a bad attitude. In my previous trips to the Wells Fargo Center there had been a make your own sundae bar. This time there was not. Sadness.

5. Seton Hall — Forgettable chicken parm, but awesome halftime cookies. I had heard rumors of the delectable Seton Hall halftime cookies but had never made it back to the media room to get one. This year I did and I might have had seven (they're small, I swear).

6. Creighton — Godfather’s pizza. There's not guess work for games at Creighton. You get Godfather's pizza and a good variety of toppings, too. There's something to be said for consistency.

7. Xavier — Donatos pizza, tantalizing chicken wings. Had it not been Ash Wednesday this would have certainly been higher in the rankings. The chicken wings looked so good and with many people abstaining from meat just sat there for much too long. Unfortunately they weren't still sitting there after midnight as I worked the night away. I'm not against eating hours-old wings. Judge me if you want.

8. Providence — Salad, orange chicken, orange drink. I don't know if it's just the meal at Providence when I go there or if it's there all the time, but I could take it or leave it. There were cookies, of which I only had one. Redemption for Providence.

9. St. John’s — Ziti, meatballs, baked pretzel sticks. I usually don't eat at Madison Square Garden because the other food options (read: Shake Shack and/or pizza) are just so much better. This meal confirmed that stance.